Pakistan Minority Affairs Minister Shahbaz Bhatti was murdered Wednesday morning. He was the only Christian member of the Pakistani President’s Cabinet. Bhatti, a Roman Catholic, courageously spoke out against the misuse of the country's blasphemy laws by Islamic extremists and spoke up for religious minorities, including Christians. His positions made him the No. 1 target of the Taliban but he still committed himself to standing up for the minorities and for human rights.

Bhatti's Slaying an Attack on Values of Tolerance

I was shocked and outraged by the assassination.

I think this was an attack not only on one man but on the values of tolerance and respect for people of all faiths and backgrounds that had been championed by Mohammed Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan

He (Bhatti) was a patriot. He was a man of great conviction. He cared deeply for Pakistan, and he had dedicated his life to helping the least among us.